Complete Secondary Education Research Articles

Body Weight, Eating Patterns, and Physical Activity: The Role of Education

In this article, we empirically study the role of education attainment on individual body mass index (BMI), eating patterns, and physical activity. We allow for endogeneity of schooling choices for females and males in a mean and quantile instrumental variables framework. We find that completion of lower secondary education has a significant positive impact on reduction of individual BMI, containment of calorie consumption, and promotion of physical activity. Interestingly, these effects are heterogeneous across genders and distributions. In particular, for BMI and calorie expenditure, the effect of education is significant for females and is more pronounced for women with high body mass and low physical activity. On the other hand, the effect of education on eating patterns is significant mainly for males, being more beneficial for men with elevated calorie consumption. We also show that education attainment is likely to foster productive and allocative efficiency of individuals in the context of BMI formation. Given that the literature suggests that education fosters development of cognition, self-control, and a variety of skills and abilities, in our context it is thus likely to promote lifetime preferences and means of individuals, which in turn enable them to achieve better health outcomes. Education also provides exposure to physical education and to school subjects enhancing individual deliberative skills, which are important factors shaping calorie expenditure and intake. Finally, we show that in the presence of strong socioeconomic inequalities in BMI, education is likely to have a pronounced impact on healthy BMI for the disadvantaged groups, represented in our framework by females.

DESIGN OF AN ONLINE EXPERT SYSTEM FOR CAREER GUIDANCE

This paper focuses on the construction of an online Expert System which guides the students for the selection of their undergraduate courses after the completion of higher secondary school education. The system is online in the sense that it will provide up-to-date information to the students. The proposed system takes the necessary details from the user (student) as input. The system will have the knowledge-base which contains the details about the colleges in Pondicherry. This information is acquired from web pages using pattern matching and jSoup parsing technique and the knowledge-base is constructed automatically without manual efforts. Rules are framed and an inference engine is developed which makes the Expert System. The constructed knowledge-base can be queried with domain related queries and the Expert System provides the most relevant details for the query.

Predictive value of the school-leaving grade and prognosis of different admission groups for academic performance and continuity in the medical course - a longitudinal study.

Background: The school-leaving GPA and the time since completion of secondary education are the major criteria for admission to German medical schools. However, the predictive value of the school-leaving grade and the admission delay have not been thoroughly examined since the amendment of the Medical Licensing Regulations and the introduction of reformed curricula in 2002. Detailed information on the prognosis of the different admission groups is also missing.Aim: To examine the predictive values of the school-leaving grade and the age at enrolment for academic performance and continuity throughout the reformed medical course.Methods: The study includes the central admission groups “GPA-best” and “delayed admission” as well as the primary and secondary local admission groups of three consecutive cohorts. The relationship between the criteria academic performance and continuity and the predictors school-leaving GPA, enrolment age, and admission group affiliation were examined up to the beginning of the final clerkship year.Results: The academic performance and the prolongation of the pre-clinical part of undergraduate training were significantly related to the school-leaving GPA. Conversely, the dropout rate was related to age at enrolment. The students of the GPA-best group and the primary local admission group performed best and had the lowest dropout rates. The students of the delayed admission group and secondary local admission group performed significantly worse. More than 20% of these students dropped out within the pre-clinical course, half of them due to poor academic performance. However, the academic performance of all of the admission groups was highly variable and only about 35% of the students of each group reached the final clerkship year within the regular time.Discussion: The school-leaving grade and age appear to have different prognostic implications for academic performance and continuity. Both factors have consequences for the delayed admission group. The academic prognosis of the secondary local admission group is as problematic as that of the delayed admission group. Additional admission instruments would be necessary, in order to recognise potentially able applicants independently of their school-leaving grade and to avoid the secondary admission procedure.

Abstract P312: Measuring the Food, Tobacco, Alcohol and Physical Activity Urban Environments in Relation to Cardiovascular Health: The Heart Healthy Hoods Pilot Study in Madrid, Spain

Introduction: Several features of the residential environment have been related to cardiovascular risk. This pilot study tested the feasibility of measuring four specific domains of the urban environment (food, tobacco, alcohol and physical activity) in 12 census sections within the Heart Healthy Hoods Study in Madrid, Spain. Methods: 12 census sections within the city limits of Madrid were selected using the Median Neighborhood Index (MNI). The MNI selects median clusters (in terms of aging, education, segregation and urban form) of contiguous areas within a city using the SaTSCAN statistic. Well-trained data collectors conducted the fieldwork during 3 weeks. To assess the food environment they collected data on the number and type of stores as well as the healthy food availability within stores, using an abbreviated and adapted version of the NEMS-S inventory. For the tobacco and alcohol environment they collected data on the type and number of points of sale. For the physical activity environment they directly measured the attributes of 169 street segments associated with walking and cycling within the 12 census sections using the SPACES inventory. The same tool was used to virtually assess the 169 segments using Google Street View. All data collected were geolocated to produce relevant maps. The cardiovascular health profile of the residents over 40 was assessed using the Primary Care Electronic Health Records from two Health Care Center in the area. Results: The food environment included 2 public markets, 41 food stores and 61 food places. In terms of healthy food availability (score ranges from 0-27), the assessed stores had a mean score of 12.03, higher for supermarkets compared to other types of stores. The tobacco and alcohol environment included 64 and 94 points of sale respectively. The physical activity environment score includes function, safety, aesthetics and destinations for walking and cycling. For walking, the total score has a mean of 4.27 (ranges from 0-6.96); and 3.50 (ranges from 0-5.97) for cycling. Of the 15715 residents living in the study area, 23,4% were above 65 years of age, 49,6% did not complete secondary education, and 25,9% were foreign-born. The cardiovascular health profile of 8357 residents over 40 showed the following prevalence estimates: Obesity 9.3%, Diabetes 10.4%, Hypertension 29.8%, Hypercholesterolemia 28.7%. Conclusions: This pilot study showed a feasible way to measure four important features of the Urban Environment (food, tobacco, alcohol and physical activity) in direct relation to Cardiovascular Health. We aim to use these assessment tools for the future Heart Healthy Hoods Study that will be conducted in 90 neighborhoods of Madrid in order to study the effect of residential environments on the cardiovascular health of its residents.

Adult neurobehavioral outcome of hyperbilirubinemia in full term neonates—a 30 year prospective follow-up study

Background. Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (HB) may cause severe neurological damage, but serious consequences are effectively controlled by phototherapy and blood exchange transfusion. HB is still a serious health problem in economically compromised parts of the world. The long term outcome has been regarded favorable based on epidemiological data, but has not been confirmed in prospective follow-up studies extending to adulthood.Methods. We studied the long term consequences of HB in a prospective birth cohort of 128 HB cases and 82 controls. The cases are part of a neonatal at-risk cohort (n = 1196) that has been followed up to 30 years of age. HB cases were newborns ≥ 2500 g birth weight and ≥ 37 weeks of gestation who had bilirubin concentrations > 340 µmol/l or required blood exchange transfusion. Subjects with HB were divided into subgroups based on the presence (affected HB) or absence (unaffected HB) of diagnosed neurobehavioral disorders in childhood, and compared with healthy controls. Subjects were seen at discharge, 5, 9 and 16 years of life and parent’s and teacher’s assessments were recorded. At 30 years they filled a questionnaire about academic and occupational achievement, life satisfaction, somatic and psychiatric symptoms including a ADHD self-rating score. Cognitive functioning was tested using ITPA, WISC, and reading and writing tests at 9 years of life.Results. Compared to controls, the odds for a child with HB having neurobehavioral symptoms at 9 years was elevated (OR = 4.68). Forty-five per cent of the HB group were affected by cognitive abnormalities in childhood and continued to experience problems in adulthood. This was apparent in academic achievement (p < 0.0001) and the ability to complete secondary (p < 0.0001) and tertiary (p < 0.004) education. Also, the subgroup of affected HB reported persisting cognitive complaints e.g., problems with reading, writing and mathematics. Childhood symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity (p < 0.0001) and inattention (p < 0.02) were more common in HB groups, but in adulthood the symptoms were equal. The affected HB had lower scores in parameters reflecting life satisfaction, less controlled drinking, but not increased substance abuse.Discussion. Our results indicate that neonatal HB has negative consequences in adult age. A prospectively collected cohort with strict inclusion criteria enables to control most of the bias factors involved with retrospective data. The control and HB groups were remarkably similar at birth in terms of medical data, and the growth environment of the children, as well as the parents’ social groups, education, size of family, type of housing at birth and at 9 years of age. Our findings bear resemblance to disorders of the fronto-striatal network, and also symptoms of the ADHD spectrum were frequent in the HB group suggesting a link of HB to other neurodevelopmental disorders.

МЕТОДИКА ПОШУКУ ІНТЕРНЕТ-РЕСУРСІВ ДЛЯ ДЕМОНСТРАЦІЇ ТЕХНОЛОГІЧНИХ ПРОЦЕСІВ ПІД ЧАС ВИВЧЕННЯ ХІМІЇ

Розглядається питання методики організації пошуку і застосування Інтернет-ресурсів для демонстрації технологічних процесів під час вивчення хімії у старшій школі і вищих навчальних закладах І–ІІ рівнів акредитації. Реалізація положень нового Державного стандарту базової і повної середньої освіти потребує створення певних методичних підходів до організації пошуку і використання в навчальному процесі Інтернет-ресурсів, які можна використовувати у курсі хімії для демонстрації змісту практичного спрямування, у тому числі й технологічних процесів. Значну увагу приділено порадам для вчителів стосовно методики використання Інтернет-ресурсів у підготовці і проведенні практичних і лабораторних занять, інших форм навчально-пошукової діяльності учнів.

Sociodemographic and Clinical Factors Associated with Seroprevalence of HSV2 Infection among Antenatal Clinic Attendees in Benin

Background: Knowledge of the Sociodemoraphic factors associated with HSV-2 seroprevalence and identification of the associated patient-recognizable clinical features will enable informed preventive public health interventions. There’s yet no documented data on the clinical and sociodemographic factors associated with HSV 2 Seroprevalence among pregnant women in Nigeria. Objectives: To identify sociodemographic and clinical correlates of HSV-2 seroprevalence among pregnant women attending ante-natal clinics in Benin, Nigeria. Study Location, Design and Duration: All the participants were prospectively recruited from the two major hospitals in Benin: University of Benin Teaching Hospital and Central Hospital, Benin. The cross-sectional study took place between November 2011 and June 2012. Methodology: Participants were recruited on booking. Data on their sociodemographic profiles, clinical history and obstetric characteristics were obtained by the use of structured questionnaires and hospital case records. Their blood samples were also promptly collected on recruition. Each participant’s serum was analyzed for HSV-2 IgG antibodies by gG-based type-specific ELISA. Counselling and testing for HIV were also carried out. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 16. Results: The average age of the 674 enrolled participants was 30.6±5.2 years and most Original Research Article International Journal of TROPICAL DISEASE & Health, 4(4): 402-410, 2014 403 of them were married and had complete secondary education. Seroprevalence of HSV-2 was 46.3%. Factors that was significantly associated with HSV-2 seropositivity included age, level of education, parity, HIV seropositivity and positive history of sexually transmitted infections. The HSV-2-infected were also significantly more likely to recall episodes of genital rashes (occurrence of rashes of any type in the external genitalia), vaginal discharge and urethral discharge. Conclusion: Risk factors for HSV-2 infection among pregnant women could include increasing age, higher parity, education below secondary level, HIV-positive status, and positive history of sexually transmitted infections. History of genital rashes, vaginal discharge and urethral discharge syndromes were associated with HSV-2 infection.

Competencia emprendedora e identidad personal. Una investigación exploratoria con estudiantes de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria

With the Education Act of 2006 established the basic competencies, among which is the competence for autonomy and personal initiative or, in other words, entrepreneurship competence. This competence is not limited to its economic dimension, but training embraces intellectual, moral and social. Probably, these broader aspects of learning are more significantly related to what may seem the economic and productive education. Given the paucity of empirical work on the ideas of students about their education as entrepreneurs, and considering the educational and social interest of these investigations, we explored the thinking of the students who complete secondary education, according to their identity status, gender, and type of public or private schools. We conducted a descriptive study, selecting eight schools in the south of Spain, contextualized in the mediational model student-centered, with a design biphase, considering technical and quantitative and qualitative instruments. For the typological classification of subjects according to identity status, the questionnaire was administered EOMEIS-2, and the evaluation of the ideas of the students devised a questionnaire on the entrepreneurship competence. This research seems to show that, generally, individuals with a personal identity achieved better together as entrepreneurs. This may mean that personal identity is at the heart of entrepreneurship, separating it from just a vision or business economist. And possibly also assume that attention to personal identity is an excellent means of significantly improving the productive dimension of education.

General public awareness of heart failure: results of questionnaire survey during Heart Failure Awareness Day 2011.

IntroductionGeneral public views about heart failure (HF) alone and in comparison with other chronic conditions are largely unknown; thus we conducted this survey to evaluate general public awareness about HF and HF disease burden relative to common chronic disease.Material and methodsThis was a cross-sectional survey during European Heart Failure Awareness Day 2011. People visiting the stands and other activities in 12 Slovenian cities were invited to complete a 14-item questionnaire.ResultsThe analysis included 850 subjects (age 56 ±15 years, 44% men, 55% completed secondary education or higher). Overall, 83% reported to have heard about HF, 58% knew someone with HF, and 35% believed that HF is a normal consequence of ageing. When compared to other chronic diseases, HF was perceived as less important than cancer, myocardial infarction, stroke and diabetes with only 6%, 12%, 7%, and 5% of subjects ranking HF as number 1 in terms of prevalence, cost, quality of life, and survival. A typical patient with HF symptoms was recognized by 30%, which was comparable to the description of myocardial ischemia (33%) and stroke (39%). Primary care physicians (53%) or specialists (52%) would be primary sources of information about HF. If experiencing HF, 83% would prefer their care to be focused on quality of life rather than on survival (14%).ConclusionsMany participants reported to have heard about heart failure but the knowledge was poor and with several misbeliefs. Heart failure was perceived as less important than several other chronic diseases, where cancer appears as a main concern among the general public.

Aspirational analysis of girl students involved in agricultural profession

The study was conducted in Pune and Solapur district of Maharashtra state from where a total of 120 students were selected. The data was collected using personal interview schedule and was analyzed. It was observed that majority (58.33 %) of the girl students belonged to small sized nuclear family, having farming (55.00 %) as main occupation and having completed higher secondary education. The finding showed that majority of Agricultural students had medium level of aspirations (78.33 %) with mean score of 14.01. They aspired to complete their post-graduation (83.33 %) and to work in government sector (83.33 %). However majority (43.33 %) had economic aspiration of about 4.01 lakh to 8.0 lakh anonymous and more than three-fifth (65.00 %) aspired to be members in social organization. The correlation of coefficient was observed that annual income of family was found to be positively significant relationship at 0.05 per cent level. While the variables namely family size, family education status, occupation of parents and size of land holdings had positively non-significant relationship. Based on the findings of the study the level of aspiration should be enhanced by giving them career guidance, counselling, conducting periodical reorientations and campus interviews which will widen the horizons of female agriculture graduates.

Health and Safety Challenges, and Perceptions of Private Sector Waste Operators in Lagos, Nigeria

This study assessed the knowledge, and perceptions on safety measure practices and challenges of private sector participation (PSP) operators on solid waste management in Lagos State, Nigeria. This was a cross-sectional study and utilized interviewer administered questionnaire. The study employed purposive sampling among 256 PSP operators. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s product moment and multiple regression analysis correlation at 5% level of significance. Respondents’ age was 35.7 ± 4.2 years, and included 78.5% male. About 55.9% of the respondents spent up to 5 years in the waste management operations. Some 44.9% had at least completed secondary school education. A good knowledge of waste management was exhibited by 68.4% of the respondents. The respondents who had spent 16 years and above in waste management operations were more knowledgeable (8.0 ± 2.1) compared to those who had spent lesser time (p

Sexual stigma and discrimination as barriers to seeking appropriate healthcare among men who have sex with men in Swaziland

IntroductionSame-sex practices and orientation are both stigmatized and criminalized in many countries across sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to assess the relationship of fear of seeking healthcare and disclosure of same-sex practices among a sample of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Swaziland with demographic, socio-economic and behavioural determinants.MethodsThree hundred and twenty-three men who reported having had anal sex with a man in the past year were recruited using respondent-driven sampling and administered a structured survey instrument. Asymptotically unbiased estimates of prevalence of stigma and human rights abuses generated using the RDSII estimator are reported with bootstrapped confidence intervals (CIs). Weighted simple and multiple logistic regressions of fear of seeking healthcare and disclosure of same-sex practices to a healthcare provider with demographic, social and behavioural variables are reported.ResultsStigma was common, including 61.7% (95% CI=54.0–69.0%) reporting fear of seeking healthcare, 44.1% (95% CI=36.2–51.3%) any enacted stigma and 73.9% (95% CI=67.7–80.1%) any perceived social stigma (family, friends). Ever disclosing sexual practices with other men to healthcare providers was low (25.6%, 95% CI=19.2–32.1%). In multiple logistic regression, fear of seeking healthcare was significantly associated with: having experienced legal discrimination as a result of sexual orientation or practice (aOR=1.9, 95% CI=1.1–3.4), having felt like you wanted to end your life (aOR=2.0, 95% CI=1.2–3.4), having been raped (aOR=11.0, 95% CI=1.4–84.4), finding it very difficult to insist on condom use when a male partner does not want to use a condom (aOR=2.1, 95% CI=1.0–4.1) and having a non-Swazi nationality at birth (aOR=0.18, 95% CI=0.05–0.68). In multiple logistic regression, disclosure of same-sex practices to a healthcare provider was significantly associated with: having completed secondary education or more (aOR=5.1, 95% CI=2.5–10.3), having used a condom with last casual male sexual partner (aOR=2.4, 95% CI=1.0–5.7) and having felt like you wanted to end your life (aOR=2.1, 95% CI=1.2–3.8).ConclusionsMSM in Swaziland report high levels of stigma and discrimination. The observed associations can inform structural interventions to increase healthcare seeking and disclosure of sexual practices to healthcare workers, facilitating enhanced behavioural and biomedical HIV-prevention approaches among MSM in Swaziland.

Challenging the status quo: the enabling role of gender sensitive fathers, inspirational mothers and surrogate parents in Uganda

Within a context where relatively few girls complete secondary education, 18 women were interviewed in Uganda with the objective of ascertaining how they were able to overcome the challenges they encountered to become well-qualified and successful career-women. An important finding from this research was that although parental involvement in Uganda is a much less formal process than that reported in literature from the Global North, it is nevertheless crucially important, with parents and other key figures enabling, supporting and encouraging the young women's education, and acting as role models. The paper highlights, however, the gendered nature of such involvement, with some fathers having the advantages of authority, education, money and time to enable them to stand apart from their communities in supporting their daughters' education. In contrast, mothers frequently struggled through lack of resources, yet their unstinting hard work and persistence offered inspiration and role modelling of a different kind. Interviewees growing up without one or both biological parents meanwhile relied on a network of people who in effect became surrogate parents, in various ways assisting them to complete their schooling.

Differences in psychiatric symptoms among Asian patients with depression: a multi-country cross-sectional study.

The aim of this study was to compare the symptomatic and clinical features of depression among five groups of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) living in China, Korea, Malaysia/Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. Consecutive consenting adults (aged 18-65) who met DSM-IV criteria for non-psychotic MDD – based on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview – and who were free of psychotropic medication were evaluated in a cross-sectional study. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the 10-item Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the 13-item depression subscale of the Symptoms Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R). In addition, the 10-item SCL-90-R Anxiety Subscale was completed. ancova were conducted, adjusting for confounders: age, completion of secondary education, marital status, work status, religion, index episode duration, and depressive severity. For the magnitude of differences, a threshold of 0.10 was taken as the minimum effect size representing clinical significance, and an effect size of 0.25 was considered moderate. Four MADRS symptoms differentiated these five groups, the most prominent being ‘lassitude’ and ‘inner tension’. Nine SCL-90-R depression items also differentiated the groups, as did eight SCL-90-R Anxiety Subscale items. The MADRS lassitude item had the largest effect size (0.131). The rest of those statistically significant differences did not exceed 0.10. MDD is more similar than different among outpatients in these diverse Asian countries. The between-country differences, while present and not due to chance, are small enough to enable the use of common clinician and self-report rating scales in studies involving Asians with MDD from various ethnic backgrounds.

Parental Divorce and Adult Family, Social and Psychological Outcomes: The Contribution of Childhood Family Adversity

Parental Divorce and Adult Family, Social and Psychological Outcomes: The Contribution of Childhood Family Adversity

A study on father’s knowledge and attitude towards their role in child care in selected areas of Mangalore with a view to develop an informational booklet.

Abstract “It is a wise father who knows his own child” - William Shakespeare In today's modern and fast changing society, families are becoming nuclear; mothers are professionally oriented and having busy jobs. Father's participation in child care is necessary due to progressive involvement of mothers in jobs outside the home. Hence the responsibility of child rearing has extended to fathers also.In this study father's knowledge is assessed by self structured questionnaire and attitude using attitude scale. The findings revealed that majority of the fathers 88(44%) were in the age group of less than 30 years, 110 (55%) were having more than 2 siblings, 92 (46%) were st on the 1st order of birth, (46.5%) completed Secondary school education,106 (53%) were having private job, 200(100%) were married and living with spouse,82 (41%) of their children have above 2yrs. 116 (58%) fathers were Hindus, 79 (39.5%) were having monthly income of less than Rs5000/ -and 124 (62%) fathers do not have previous information regarding child care. The result also shows 94 (47%) fathers were having average knowledge regarding child care, 69 fathers (34.45%) have poor knowledge and 37 (18.5%) fathers were having good knowledge. There is significant correlation between knowledge and attitude of fathers regarding their role in child care. There is significant association between knowledge and demographic variables but marital status has no significant association between knowledge and also significant association seen between attitude and demographic variables.

From Ethnic Capital to Ethnic Educational Inequality: How Family and Co-Ethnic Neighbourhood Resources Affect Second-Generation Attainment in Belgium

Applying multilevel analyses to a sample of the Belgian Census (110,208 individuals in 130 municipalities and districts), we study neighbourhood effects on ethnic educational inequality, comparing the Italian, Moroccan, and Turkish second generation with the Belgian majority. Severe ethnic penalties on the completion of upper secondary and tertiary education are largely explained by ethnic differences in family resources. In addition to individual- and household-level predictors in 1991, our analyses of educational attainment, as assessed retrospectively in 2001, focus on ethnic density and co-ethnic resources as neighbourhood-level predictors in 1991. Neighbourhood resources are measured by general and co-ethnic levels of education and housing wealth in one's municipality or district. Combining migration research on the role of ethnic communities with research on neighbourhood effects, we argue that co-ethnic (relative to general) neighbourhood resources will most effectively support second-generation attainment. Indeed, positive effects of neighbourhood ethnic density and the share of university-educated co-ethnics on attainment account for residual ethnic penalties after taking into account family resources, particularly among the Turkish second generation. Our findings point to the up- and downsides of ethnic residential concentration for second-generation attainment, depending on the presence or absence of co-ethnic neighbourhood resources. © The Author 2013.

Estimating the direct and indirect pathways between education and diabetes incidence among Canadian men and women: a mediation analysis

PurposeTo estimate the direct and indirect pathways between education and diabetes. MethodsWe examined the relative contribution of eight different pathways between education and diabetes incidence over a 9-year period in Ontario, Canada. Our data source was respondents (35–60 years of age) to the 2000–2001 Canadian Community Health Survey individually linked with physician and hospital administrative data. Our sample contained 11,899 participants with no previous diagnosis of diabetes. The direct and indirect effects of education level on incident diabetes were estimated using Aalen additive hazard models. ResultsNot having completed secondary education was associated with 120 extra diabetes cases per 10,000 men per year and 43 additional diabetes cases per 10,000 women per year, compared with having Bachelors education or higher. Body mass index accounted for 13 of the 120 extra diabetes cases among men, and 24 of the 43 additional diabetes cases for women. ConclusionsOf the mediating pathways examined in this paper, body mass index was the pathway through which the largest number of diabetes cases was mediated among men and women. A substantial number of excess diabetes cases among respondents with lower education levels, in particular among men, were not mediated through any of the eight pathways examined.

Use of insecticide treated net and malaria preventive education: effect on malaria parasitemia among people living with AIDS in Nigeria, a cross-sectional study

BackgroundMalaria and HIV are major causes of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa with both diseases highly endemic in Nigeria. This study was conducted to assess the effect of long lasting insecticide treated net (ITN) use and malaria preventive education on burden of malaria parasite among people living with AIDS (PLWHA) at Osogbo southwestern Nigeria.MethodA descriptive cross-sectional study of newly recruited consenting PLWHA that were screened consecutively for malaria, those positive were treated with artemisinin combination therapy. All PLWHA were educated about malaria infection, given ITN and followed up monthly for three months when they were rescreened for malaria infection. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.ResultA total of 392 (92%) PLWHA completed the study. Mean age of the respondents was 33 ± 11.6 years. They were 120 (31%) males and 272 (69%) females. Majority (80%) were married, over 33% completed secondary education while 21% had tertiary education. Most were traders (40%) and artisans (25%). About 60% had Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasitemia at baseline which drastically reduced to 5% at three months with ITN use and malaria prevention education.ConclusionMalaria is a major preventable condition among PLWHA. Preventive education and ITN use reduced malaria parasite burden among this population.

Self-care practice for bowel functioning in a group of patients with spinal cord injury

This was a descriptive and exploratory study. Objective: To characterize individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI) treated at a rehabilitation center in a tertiary hospital in the interior of São Paulo state, and to identify their self-care practices related to bowel management. Method: After being approved by the Research Ethics Committee and receiving consent from the participants, the data was collected through an interview and by analyzing their medical records. Thirty individuals were interviewed, most of whom were male, single, had a complete secondary education, and a mean age of 35 years. Results: The main cause for the SCI was automobile accident with a prevalence of cervical injuries. The most common self-care practices were nutritional management followed by abdominal massage. Regarding the bowel problems, fecal impaction predominated followed by fecal incontinence. Conclusion: The bowel rehabilitation program should be instituted for individuals with SCI as early as possible to minimize complications.